Sir, – The revelation that three people a day on average are dying from liver disease ("Sharp rise in number of women dying from alcohol-related illness", August 2nd) is an indictment of our national obsession with alcohol.
If 1,000 of our citizens every year were victims of terrorism we would have a state of emergency. Yet, the reality is that we have become so used to alcohol-related statistics that they have little or no impact, particularly on those whose responsibility it is to do something effective about this appalling situation.
In recent weeks, the representative body of the Irish drinks industry initiated a campaign intended to obtain a favourable response from government to the drinks industry’s demands in the forthcoming budget.
This occurred in the same week that saw a major upsurge in road accident fatalities and at a time when the Road Safety Authority was highlighting the fact that almost half of all road deaths are caused by alcohol-related factors.
It is to be hoped that the practitioners of the new politics in the Oireachtas and those in administration who draw their attention to the demands of the drinks lobby must realise that in this instance people must come before profit.
– Yours, etc,
Dr MICHAEL LOFTUS
Crossmolina,
Co Mayo.